Q: Does your dog need a special food bowl?

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After my husband started spoiling our dog by hand feeding her chicken, she got to the point where she doesn't want to eat out of her dish anymore. It doesn't matter what you put in it. She has a nice large plastic bowl that is always kept clean but she most always refuses to eat out of it. She will drink her fresh water out of the exact same type of bowl but won't touch her food. She only wants to eat if you hand feed her everything or put it on a different dish and hold the dish in your hand. Is that just being spoiled or is it a problem with the plastic? Does anyone know if the metal or ceramic bowls are better for your dog than plastic? She will starve herself to death if we don't hand feed her.

Readers' Answers (8)

For a while the only way my dog would eat is if I put her food on a paper plate. She eventually got over it, I didn't do anything special. Your dog will eat when she gets hungry enough, she won't starve herself. Good luck!

Your dog is not going to starve herself, she's still an animal with a strong self-preservation and food-seeking instinct. She just finds it more enjoyable to spend time getting spoiled by you while she's eating. The best way to cure this behavior is to stop it altogether. Don't give her any food or treats except in the bowl. Give her a tasty food she enjoys with a strong smell, like chicken or kibble with bacon grease on it, leave it in the bowl, and ignore her. You might even try leaving the house. If she doesn't eat it within an hour or two pick it up and try again that evening. Eventually she'll eat twice a day on a set schedule out of her bowl. The main thing is not to spoil her or feel sorry for her, stick to your guns. She will eat when she is hungry enough.

She is probably spoiled but actually a plastic bowl for food or water IS BAD for your dog, get the stainless steel, or use a china bowl, but there is something in the plastic that do harm, the man next door did the same to his dog I watched him for a week & almost lost my mind I followed him around with special food on a paper plate, I thought that no one could spoil a dog like I can, I was wrong.